EVMs used in Indian election system not fool proof: PMK

Chennai, Jun 6 (PTI) PMK today alleged Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in the Indian election system were not fool-proof and insisted that the country go back to the paper ballot system. "The method of electing representatives for the biggest democracy in the world should be fool-pr

Chennai, Jun 6 (PTI) PMK today alleged Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in the Indian election system were not fool-proof and insisted that the country go back to the paper ballot system.

"The method of electing representatives for the biggest democracy in the world should be fool-proof. The electronic voting method does not assure this and has given space for a lot of manipulation," PMK Youth Wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss said. In a memorandum submitted with the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the "urgent need to amend the Representation of the People Act, 1951", he said many parties have levelled allegations against EVMs "as the possibility of manipulation is high." "It is a proven fact that EVMs are not tamper-proof and can be hacked both before and after elections. Apart from manipulating EVM software and hardware, it can be hacked in many ways," he said, adding only three countries in the world, including India, had opted for this method of voting. The use of EVMs did not "respect the fundamental right of the citizens to know whether the votes cast by them were recorded and counted, he said. "Considering the high levels of manipulation showcased, it is high time we go back to use ballot papers to ensure that citizens basic human right is upheld," Anbumani, a sitting MP from Dharmapuri, said.

Since 2009, his party had been of the opinion that EVMs can be tampered with, he said. Among other electoral reforms sought by the party, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) urged for a ban on freebies in the form of products and opinion polls from the day of poll notification. S Ramadoss-led PMK, which had faced the May 16 polls in Tamil Nadu on its own, failed to return a single MLA to the 234-member state Assembly even as Anbumani himself lost to DMKs PNP Inbasekaran at Pennagaram. PTI SA APR SRY

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.

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